Think your black plastic spatula is toxic? You might want to read this first
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Recent headlines have had many of us questioning the safety of our kitchen utensils, with warnings that black plastic spatulas could pose serious health risks.
What started as a concern over plastic manufacturing has quickly turned into a confusing mix of alarming claims and unforeseen errors.
But as the details unravel, the true story is far less dramatic than it first seemed.
If you recently tossed out your trusty black plastic spatula after reading alarming headlines like ‘Your favourite spatula could kill you,’ you might want to reconsider.
Turns out, the dramatic claims behind those warnings were based on a study that had a rather significant miscalculation.
While the general concern about the health risks of plastic remains valid—plastic does contain numerous chemicals with poorly understood potential health effects—the actual issue is far smaller than originally reported.
The study in question highlighted a legitimate problem with plastic manufacturing but exaggerated the extent of the risk.
The study’s main focus was on flame retardants in plastic—chemicals designed to prevent materials from catching fire.
These additives, particularly a group known as brominated flame retardants, have long been suspected of causing health problems like cancer.
They’re also known to accumulate in the environment, which raises concerns about exposure.
The researchers suspected that black plastic from electronics was being recycled into products like kitchen utensils, which led them to investigate further. And, indeed, they found that this was happening.
However, the study’s conclusions were significantly affected by a math error. Chemist Joe Schwarzc, as reported by Canada’s National Post, took a closer look at the numbers.
He discovered a simple yet critical mistake—a missing zero in the dosage calculation for BDE-209, a specific flame retardant chemical.
The study compared the actual daily exposure to the reference dose of BDE-209, which is 7,000 nanograms per kilogram of body weight.
They calculated this for a 60-kilogram person (roughly the size of a small adult) and found exposure from kitchen utensils to be 34,700 nanograms per day.
This figure seemed alarmingly close to the reference dose of 42,000 nanograms, suggesting a serious health risk.
But that was based on faulty maths. The correct reference dose is 420,000 nanograms, not 42,000. That means the exposure of 34,700 nanograms was not nearly as concerning as first thought.
Instead of being 83% of the reference dose, it was actually only 8.3%. Still a potential concern, but not nearly as dire.
The journal issued a correction, noting, ‘We regret this error and have updated it in our manuscript. This calculation error does not affect the overall conclusion of the paper.’
The authors maintained that the central point of the study—that toxic additives in recycled plastics could contaminate products inappropriately—still stands.
Their key takeaway was that when harmful chemicals are used in plastic manufacturing, they can end up in items, such as kitchen utensils, that don’t require flame retardants.
The study also called for more research and regulation to ensure safer materials are used in plastic products.
These are fair points, even if the risk wasn’t as extreme as originally thought.
So, now that the dust has settled and the math has been corrected, do you feel more confident about your black plastic utensils, or are you still concerned? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
What started as a concern over plastic manufacturing has quickly turned into a confusing mix of alarming claims and unforeseen errors.
But as the details unravel, the true story is far less dramatic than it first seemed.
If you recently tossed out your trusty black plastic spatula after reading alarming headlines like ‘Your favourite spatula could kill you,’ you might want to reconsider.
Turns out, the dramatic claims behind those warnings were based on a study that had a rather significant miscalculation.
While the general concern about the health risks of plastic remains valid—plastic does contain numerous chemicals with poorly understood potential health effects—the actual issue is far smaller than originally reported.
The study in question highlighted a legitimate problem with plastic manufacturing but exaggerated the extent of the risk.
The study’s main focus was on flame retardants in plastic—chemicals designed to prevent materials from catching fire.
These additives, particularly a group known as brominated flame retardants, have long been suspected of causing health problems like cancer.
They’re also known to accumulate in the environment, which raises concerns about exposure.
The researchers suspected that black plastic from electronics was being recycled into products like kitchen utensils, which led them to investigate further. And, indeed, they found that this was happening.
However, the study’s conclusions were significantly affected by a math error. Chemist Joe Schwarzc, as reported by Canada’s National Post, took a closer look at the numbers.
He discovered a simple yet critical mistake—a missing zero in the dosage calculation for BDE-209, a specific flame retardant chemical.
The study compared the actual daily exposure to the reference dose of BDE-209, which is 7,000 nanograms per kilogram of body weight.
They calculated this for a 60-kilogram person (roughly the size of a small adult) and found exposure from kitchen utensils to be 34,700 nanograms per day.
This figure seemed alarmingly close to the reference dose of 42,000 nanograms, suggesting a serious health risk.
But that was based on faulty maths. The correct reference dose is 420,000 nanograms, not 42,000. That means the exposure of 34,700 nanograms was not nearly as concerning as first thought.
Instead of being 83% of the reference dose, it was actually only 8.3%. Still a potential concern, but not nearly as dire.
The journal issued a correction, noting, ‘We regret this error and have updated it in our manuscript. This calculation error does not affect the overall conclusion of the paper.’
The authors maintained that the central point of the study—that toxic additives in recycled plastics could contaminate products inappropriately—still stands.
Their key takeaway was that when harmful chemicals are used in plastic manufacturing, they can end up in items, such as kitchen utensils, that don’t require flame retardants.
The study also called for more research and regulation to ensure safer materials are used in plastic products.
These are fair points, even if the risk wasn’t as extreme as originally thought.
So, now that the dust has settled and the math has been corrected, do you feel more confident about your black plastic utensils, or are you still concerned? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
